Aldona, Oct. 20 -- Jenifer Fernandes [emailprotected]

Eighteen-year-old Velaska Martin from St Sebastian Vaddo, Mapusa, has found a way to blend tradition with determination. Every Sunday, she and her family can be found at the gates of Mapusa Church, selling homemade Goan snacks under a modest umbrella. What started as a small family activity has grown into a cherished local fixture over the past three years, though the family's culinary journey began over seven years ago. Velaska's father works as a bus conductor, her mother is a homemaker, and Velaska herself juggles college - where she is a first-year student - with helping her mother prepare the food. Her younger sister, still in school, lends a hand when she can. "The idea to sell ...